TALBOT7481

5^th Nov: 1857

My dear Sir

I have forwarded your letter to Mess^rs Sarl and I have no doubt M^r William Sarl will answer it – & probably with your permission see you on the subject of it – I shall not go into the questions mooted further than to say that I do not think the terms suggested can be agreed to –

You refer to my former letter – but I beg you to consider that the figures I therein used were hypothetical – and to illustrate an argument – my belief founded on practical experience is that standing alone the 2^nd & 3^rd qualities of the Lacock ore are absolutely useless for the Staffordshire Market Theories[?] in the Sale of Iron ore are very fickle – for Instance – The opinion I have formed is that in practice a high price of Iron is all against the Sale of Iron stone – The present state of things is best for us – viz^t moderate prices & good demand – raise the prices & you diminish the quantity of the make of Iron, & the amount of Iron stone required –

Yours faithfully
George Cottrell

[envelope:]
[added in WHFT's hand:] Cotterell
H. F. Talbot Esq^re
Lacock Abbey
nr. Chippenham